Doula Integration Toolkit // Integration Approaches
Integration Approaches
Hospitals, health systems, and providers looking to engage doulas should first look to existing doula organizations, groups, and independent providers in their area who are already attending births. Instead of building a doula strategy or service line from scratch look to engage doulas in your community and explore options for a collaborative relationship.
Creating a Collaborative Birth Team Environment
New York State Department of Health:
Doula Pilot Program: Findings from Focus Groups of Doulas and Clients in Buffalo
Provides a number of recommendations for enhanced operations of doula organization including provider and hospital referral and education recommendations.
Louisiana Public Health Institute::
Doula Coordination Community of Practice Project Report
Describes the framework and outcomes of a community of practice to enhance doula integration into the hospital setting in Louisiana.
Missouri PQC:
Defines the doula role and provides overview of the benefits of doula care
Best Practices for Implementing Doula Friendliness and Action Plan Template
New York City Health and Hospitals:
NYC Hospital Doula-Friendliness Guidebook
Provides a myriad of resources for hospitals specific to doula integration including:
Hospital Doula Friendliness Process Map p.8
Doula Friendliness Process Optimization p.9-10
Doula Friendliness Action Plan p.19-20
Hospital Doula Policy Design p.21-27
Best Practices for Implementing Doula Friendliness p.28-29
Sample Doula Policy p.49-50
Letter to Colleagues on Doula Support p.51
Maternity Hospital Quality Improvement Network overview and lessons learned related to doula integration p. 30-35
California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative:
Toolkit to Support Vaginal Birth and Reduce Primary Cesareans
This resource from the CMQCC includes Administrative Strategies, Clinical Strategies, and Educational Strategies for integrating doulas into the Birth Care Team. The toolkit also contains information on the importance of doulas in promoting primary vaginal deliveries and reducing cesarean sections.
Key Strategies, page 19
Team-Based Care, page 84-85
System-wide Integration, pages 86-87
Strategies for Integrating Doulas into the Birth Care Team
Primary Maternity Care:
Health Leads:
Redesigning Maternal Health: Integrating Doulas into Care Teams
Webinar that reviews doula integration resources and lessons learned from New York, Louisiana, and Massachusetts communities of practice.
California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative:
Partnering with Doulas to Improve Perinatal Outcomes and Promote Birth Equity
Powerpoint deck and companion webinar, slides 30-32 - Provides key strategies for how to partner with doulas.
Examples of Hospital Doula Policies and Integration Programs
Health Leads:
California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative:
Toolkit to Support Vaginal Birth and Reduce Primary Cesareans
This resource from the CMQCC includes two example hospital doula integration programs on page 104.
Connecticut Husky Health:
Hospital or Provider Doula Policy
This Document outlines and clarifies the role of doulas. It also highlights best practices and how hospitals and provider practices can include doulas as part of the care team to best support HUSKY Health Members.
New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute:
Guide for Hospital Doula Policy Creation
Provides best practices for hospital doula policies.
New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute:
Presentation Deck for the Guide for Hospital Doula Policy Creation
Provides quick reference point on guiding principles for hospital policies and practices on doulas including policy implementation, external distribution, hospital access, the role of doula liaison, and additional best practices.
Integrating Doulas into Patient Safety
National Health Law Program:
Provides qualitative and quantitative results from a doula survey conducted in Massachusetts including doula demographics and patient and doula experiences. Concludes with recommendations for doula programs and doula certification.